News wrap- 1 October

October01, 2015

WE AREN’T INSPIRED BY BOTHA

DA leader Mmusi Maimane has stressed that the opposition does not draw any inspiration from the Apartheid era President PW Botha.The party has been in the centre of a storm after its MP Dianne Kohler Barnard shared a post on Facebook praising Botha. She shared the Facebook post two weeks ago without realising what it said. This had to do with KwaZulu-Natal Hawks Johan Booysen’s recent suspension.

KING DALINDYEBO HAS 24 HOURS TO REPORT TO PRISON

The democratic alliance has cancelled the membership of AbaThembu King Dalindyebo.This after he was sentenced to 12 years in jail. He has 24 hours to report to a correctional centre within the jurisdiction of the Mthatha high court. The supreme court of appeals dismissed his appeal relating to crimes committed in 1995.Dalindyebo’s only available legal option is now to appeal to the Constitutional Court.

ARVs FOR ALL HIV INFECTED PEOPLE

Soon all adults in the country irrespective of their CD4 count, once diagnosed as HIV infected will be offered ARVs. This is a significant shift forming part of the new treatment guidelines recently released by the World Health Organization to increase the access to ARV therapy.As it iscurrently in South Africa – HIV infected patients are accessing ARVs once their CD4 count reaches 500.

GAUTENG HEALTH ADMITS TO IRREGULARITIES

The Gauteng Health Department has until Wednesday next week to respond to demands by Nehawu members. Nehawu members held a protest at the Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital yesterday against what they called the “capture” of the facility by the Economic Freedom Fighters. Union members are demanding that hospital CEO Sandile Mfenyana and his management team resign within a week.The department’s Steve Mabona has admitted that recruitment procedures were not followed during some appointments. Mabona says the department has launched a probe in the matter.

PASSENGER HIT BY STRAY BULLET IN SOWETO

Gauteng police have launched a manhunt for the taxi driver who opened fire on them this morning at the Bara Taxi rank. Officers were conducting a stop and search operation targeting mini bus taxis. A passenger was hit by a stray bullet during the incident and passenger was immediately taken to the hospital.

SOUTH AFRICANS CAN NOW APPLY FOR PASSPORT

South Africans will now be able to apply for their passports and Smart Card IDs at their respective banks. This as the department of home affairs tries to improve turn-around times and convenience for applicants. Home Affairs minister Malusi Gigaba launched the initiative in Newtown, Johannesburg yesterday.He outlined the new application process available from Standard Bank, FNB and Nedbank.

MAIL AND GUARDIAN DEPUTY EDITOR RESIGNS

The deputy editor of Mail and Guardian Mosheoeshoe Monare has resigned. Monare, who has been acting editor since Angela Quintal quit, resigned in September but had agreed to stay on to assist in the recruitment of a replacement. The publication says the process of hiring a new editor would be finalised this week and an announcement would be made on Monday.Monare is also the deputy chairperson of South African National Editors Forum

SANDF RELEASES NAME OF SOLDIER KILLED

The SA National Defence force has released the name of a soldier who died in Sudan earlier this week. Private Toto Tom Malashe was based in Upington and was a mechanic in the force. Malashe was part of members deployed in Sudan as part of the United Nations-African Union hybrid mission in Sudan. The SANDF says officials in Sudan are dealing with the processes of repatriating his body.

HAJJ STAMPEDE: IRAN DEATH TOLL RISES

Iran says the number of its people who died in the Hajj stamped last week has reached 464. Authorities say there was no longer hope of finding any of the country’s missing pilgrims alive. According to Saudi officials, 769 people died in the incident and 934 were injured.The Saudis have been criticized over their handling of security and for the slow publication of casualty numbers.The incident happened as two large groups of pilgrims converged at right angles as they took part in one of the rituals.

BUHARI SUBMITS CABINET NAMES

President Muhammadu Buhari says he has submitted a cabinet list to parliament for approval. He has also asked Nigerians to be patient with his four-month search for a government to tackle the country’s worse economic crisis for decades. Foreign investors and Nigerian firms have criticised Buhari for waiting until late September to nominate cabinet members.